Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

For students at one of Indonesia’s oldest Islamic boarding schools, the holy month of Ramadan doesn’t only mean fasting from dawn till dusk. It also means intensive study of the Koran.

The Lirboyo Islamic School, or ‘pesantren’, established in 1910 in East Java province, encourages its 21,000 students from around the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country to use the holy month to study religious knowledge and Islamic teachings rigorously.

Head of the boarding school, Ahmad Zulfa Sholeh, said his institution rejects radical teachings and focuses on interpreting the Koran to build “good character”. “We don’t agree with radical views because Muslims should not fight other religions. We should protect them,” he said.

Last month, a series of suicide attacks carried out by whole families, including young children, killed at least 30 people, shocking the largely moderate nation. They marked the worst militant attack since the Bali restaurant bombings in 2005 and happened just a two-hour drive from the school in the city of Surabaya. (Reuters)

Students sleep at a mosque during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 16, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Student’s lockers are seen at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 18, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

A student poses for a photograph as he looks out from a dormitory window at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 19, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

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Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students read Islamic scriptures during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 19, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

A student sits on the roof of a dormitory as he studies the Koran during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 20, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students sit outside as they learn Islamic scriptures in the evening during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 24, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Boxes of toiletries are stacked near a bathroom at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 17, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

A student (top) sits on top of a dormitory as he learns Islamic scriptures during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 20, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

An artwork commemorating one hundred years of Lirboyo Islamic boarding school is displayed near a dormitory at the school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 25, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

A student stands as goats walk past him during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 24, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students walk to attend religious service during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 24, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students sleep on a dormitory floor at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 25, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

A student is seen through blinds at a dormitory in Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 18, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 24, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students read Islamic scriptures at ancestral graves, during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 18, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Pictures of Indonesian clerics are displayed on the wall of a dormitory at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 20, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students perform ablutions before attending night prayers during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 19, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students leave their dormitories to attend religious service during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 19, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

A student rides a bicycle inside the grounds of Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 19, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students leave after attending an Islamic scriptures class during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 20, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

Students carry food they have cooked for iftar (breaking fast), during the holy month of Ramadan, at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 24, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)

Indonesian students fast, and study, during Ramadan

A student learning Islamic scripture writes in Arabic during the holy month of Ramadan at Lirboyo Islamic boarding school in Kediri, Indonesia, May 20, 2018. (Photo: Beawiharta/Reuters)